Endoscopy waiting list more than halves

Almost 14,000 people were waiting for endoscopy treatment in September last year

The number of patients waiting for endoscopy treatment at an NHS trust in Kent has more than halved in a year.

Almost 14,000 people were waiting for the procedure in September last year at the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust.

The waiting list has since reduced to about 4,900 – a drop of 65% – which the trust said would allow patients to be taken off the waiting list at the same rate new referrals were added, minimising delays.

Dr Kate Hills, the trust's lead for endoscopy, said the shift in numbers was a "significant achievement".

"The difference this time has been getting to the root of the problem, and working with teams across the trust to find the solutions," she said.

"The list is never going to be zero as there will always be referrals coming through and patients waiting for surveillance, but to achieve our steady state within this timeframe is a significant achievement."

She added: "We have had high waiting lists before, and historically that has been tackled by having weekend sessions – but when we stop, the lists gradually build back up."

The East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the shift in numbers was a significant achievement by its staff

An endoscopy is a non-surgical procedure that allows a doctor to examine the inside of your body.

A long, thin tube with a small camera inside, called an endoscope, is passed into your body through a natural opening.

A GP may refer a patient for an endoscopy if they are having certain symptoms, and the procedure is usually done at an endoscopy unit in a hospital.

Across the NHS, more than 2.5m people are on waiting lists for an endoscopy, with the more than 45% of patients waiting six weeks or more for their appointment.

Dr Hills added: "We are now looking to the future, and how we can expand and develop.

"We have plans to manage patients differently with the help of other teams to supplement and support endoscopy."